Adeola Ayoola, founder of Nigerian healthtech startup Famasi, has been selected as one of the top 10 finalists for the 2026 Aurora Tech Award, a global initiative supporting female technology entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
According to a statement, Ayoola was chosen from a record 3,400 applications submitted across 127 countries. The selection followed a multi-stage review process that first narrowed entries to a top 100 shortlist before identifying the final 10.
This year’s finalists reflect a wide geographic spread, with strong representation from Africa, Latin America and other emerging ecosystems. The selected startups operate in sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, healthtech, sustainability, agritech, HRtech and enterprise software.
All 10 companies are at pre-seed or seed stage, with organisers citing strong early traction and scalable impact potential as key selection criteria.
“The Top 10 emerged from an initial Top 100 shortlist, reflecting the continued rise of female entrepreneurship in emerging economies and the growing quality of women-led startups building scalable solutions in high-growth markets,” the statement said.
Addressing Local Challenges
The finalists include founders from Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Panama. Their ventures tackle issues ranging from financial inclusion and agricultural supply chains to healthcare access and recycling systems.
Ayoola’s startup, Famasi, is a seed-stage platform that helps pharmacies manage operations and monitor inventory in real time across a connected network. By improving visibility into medicine availability, the platform enables prescriptions to be routed to nearby pharmacies where drugs are in stock, enhancing efficiency and patient access.
Also named among the finalists is Penny Musengi, founder of Pesira Technologies in Kenya, an agritech platform linking farmers, agribusinesses and financial institutions to strengthen agricultural value chains.
Investor-Led Selection
Aurora’s selection process, powered by inDrive, is based on investor conviction and supported by a network of over 40 venture capital firms across Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Africa and South Asia.
Startups are assessed by investors with direct regional and sector expertise to ensure informed evaluations.
The top 10 finalists will pitch at a global event later this year, where winners will receive funding and access to Aurora’s international venture capital network.
